Just how important is a domain name?

The domain name is undoubtedly the most important element of your website as this has direct impact in the way that search spiders and your target audience perceive it. Having a domain name is a necessity for any website, and those domains that contain the .com, or a .com.au extension in particular communicate your credibility and your business’ trustworthiness. In the years of developing websites, I understand the importance of having the right domain name as it gives your business its very own identity on the internet. Here at Ignition Media, we are experts when it comes to choosing the best domain name we offer a domain registration services on your behalf. With your insights and our expertise and solid experience, you can be assured of a domain name that will give your website the best chances of being noticed in the World Wide Web.

Back when the Internet was still fairly new, domain names were so expensive that only a handful of established companies were able to purchase one for themselves. These days, registering a domain name is incredibly cheap. In fact, you can buy one for as low as $4.95. With this cheap price and with so much importance of having the right domain name, there is definitely no excuse for you not to have a good one.

Aside from affordable prices, the other benefits of getting a domain name are:

A Domain Names gives your website a professional appeal. Investing in a self-hosted website with your own domain name lends professional touch to your business or the organisation that you represent. Think about it; the domain name is typically the first thing that your visitors see of your website and from here; they will make that crucial first impression. If you decide to publish your site using free platforms, you are most likely to get a URL like www.yourbusiness.freehosting.com. This generic domain name will not inspire confidence in customers as a regular .com or .com.au domain typically does. Also for ecommerce websites especially, there are a lot of people that are still hesitant about making online payments and transactions. The one thing that you’ll want to avoid is to give them a reason not to trust you. If you’re not willing to spend little money on your own hosting and domain name, do you think that your customers will be convinced that you’re putting any effort in creating valuable products and services? Probably not!

Buying your very own domain name offers flexibility. A lot of people get tempted to register domain from free platforms. If you’re considering the same thing, keep in mind that using free domain names has drawbacks. Typically, free platforms will get their revenue by posting ads on your own website. These ads may or may not be related to the products or services that you sell so you can just imagine how negatively they will impact your visitors’ overall experience. On the other hand, self-hosted websites with your own domain name will give you absolute control not just with the ads that will be posted on your website but also with the set up and the software that you’re going to use. Depending on your skill set and preferences, you can use simple HTML pages, CMS like WordPress, etc. Also, hosting your own website name helps you better plan for the future. With flexibility, you’ll be allowed to easily expand the scope of your website and you won’t to deal with ridiculous limitations that free platforms usually impose on their non-paying members.

Domain names impact SEO. Several studies have proven that your domain name has direct impact on your SEO campaign and your clickthrough rate. By adding keywords to your domain name you will have a better chance of ranking for terms than you would like to be found in Google Search results. As an example, if you’re a Divorce Attorney and your business is called ‘McIntyre Lawyers’ you may opt for the domain McIntyreLawyers.com, but nothing about this domain name states you’re a Divorce Attorney. If you want to perform well on search engines such as Google, then the smarter choice for a domain name would be DivorceAttorney.com. In terms of improving your click through rate, the same studies stated that online users are more likely to click a link of a domain name that sounds professional and very specific. For instance, they are more likely to check out DivorceAttorney.com than 1300DialAnAttorney.com. The same studies also confirmed that people are more likely to trust domain names with .com or .com.au extension. So even if you get ‘DivorceAttorney’ for your domain name but use less trustworthy extension like .it for example, you will still have trouble convincing online users to check you out because anything other than a .com or .com.au is inferior and less trustworthy.

Enjoy the benefits of having professional email addresses. A couple of days ago, I was listening to a radio when I heard somebody promoting his line of products. Enthusiastically, he announced that he was running a promotion where all interested parties can join. All they have to do is to send him an email and convince him why they are the best people to win his expensive products. Then, he said: “you can send your entries to [email protected].” And I thought, you don’t even have a professional email address so how serious do are you really about your business? Unless you can present yourself in a professional manor, there is no way potential customers are going to take you seriously. When you get your self-hosted website and have secured your domain name, you’ll be able to create a professional email account such as the one I’m using [email protected]. This automatically makes you an important person to deal within your company. For your customers’ peace of mind, you can also create professional email accounts for each department. Examples are [email protected] or [email protected]. Remember, just like in the real world, presentation could be the difference between landing a business and losing your clients all together.

Good domain name strengthens brands. Using the best possible domain name for your website actually helps in boost your branding effort. In cases where you use your business name for your domain name, it helps in increasing awareness among your target audience. Visitors who remember your domain name will not only use it for future visit but will also most likely to share it with people who can benefit from your products and services.

Choosing Your Own Domain Name

With uncompromising commitment in helping all my clients establish their company online as a reputable and trustworthy organisation, Ignition Media offers domain name registration services. Years of experience in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has made me an expert when it comes to choosing domain names that can give you the best chances of being found online.

However, if you decide to take matters in your own hands, know that choosing and registering your own domain name can be relatively simple if you follow what I call the best practices in choosing compelling domain names. So, read on!

Use your business name whenever possible. The main reason you’re making a website is to promote your business, right? Thus, it makes a lot of sense using your business name when finding the best domain name. This helps you reinforce your brand and can easily help you tell your customers that “hey, we’re now online.” Your target audience will most likely to search your business name anyway when they’re looking for information related to your products and services so you might as well use something that they’ll actually use on search engines.

Make it memorable. If your business isn’t established yet and if you’re creating a domain name from the scratch, the first thing that you need to ensure is to make it as memorable as possible. When you tell people about it, they must not have any difficult time recalling it. Remember, you would want these people to share your website to other potential clients and they will not do it unless they remember your domain name. To achieve this, use simple but catchy words. Also, keep your domain name short as much as possible. Combining two words that are extremely relevant to your business is highly recommended. For example, you can use DivorceAttorney.com, CaliforniaDentist.com, etc. I’m sure you get the idea.

Do keyword research. Keywords are fundamental in Search Engine Optimisation. As there is no doubt that you would want your website to rank higher on Google, you need to start using relevant keywords early on. Using tools offered by giant search engines, identify the most common terms or phrases that your target audience are using when they search for the products that you sell. Mix and match until you come up with interesting and attractive domain name. Read my previous post ‘How to Perform Keyword Analysis for Your Website’ for instructions.

Make it sound authoritative. If you want your website to sound like a trustworthy authority, you should know how to communicate your authoritativeness and credibility on your domain name and you can expect people to respond better to you. It must communicate exactly what your business is and what you can offer to your visitors.

Ignition Media is offers full-service domain name registration

If you’re like most of my clients and would rather focus on the core of their business than spend time understanding the concept of choosing the domain name and registration, you can count on my expertise to get it done efficiently and in no time. It is my commitment to provide you with a well thought-out domain name that will best represent you and your business in the online arena. Call now to discuss your needs by dialing 07 5568 7515 or you contact myself or a team member via our online contact form. We’ll be more than happy to assist you.

Nicole Brooke | Administrator

Nicole is owner and SEO of Ignition Media. She has been an SEO for 15 years and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to SEO, content marketing and Social Media exposure. Follow me on Google+View all posts by Nicole Brooke →